The present application relates generally to an improved data processing apparatus and method and more specifically to mechanisms for automatic case assignment based on learned expertise of prior caseload.
Assignment of a case to a caseworker may consume a great deal of time trying to determine how to direct the case. The prior art focuses on call center mechanics, routing, and agent assignment based on either a directed scheme, such as round robin, to the agent who has waited the longest, etc., a rating scheme based on sales performance of the agent, agent qualifications, native language, etc. The prior art may use an approach where a call center application interprets the speech of the caller to determine keywords to use for the routing. The aim of such approaches is to either pair up a customer sales agent to a prospective paying customer or to match a customer inquiry to a predefined set of possible query categories e.g., “pay balance,” “technical support,” “new account,” etc.).